Come On Closer
by sasa0488
Summary: Follow up fiction of the Holby City episode 'Soft Centred'.
1. Chapter 1

It has only been a few hours after Michael Beauchamp had given Ric Griffin back his post as general consultant at Holby. For both of the Beauchamps, neither hoped this would happen. Their plan was slowly falling apart, bit by bit, much to their disappointment. The front door of the Beauchamp home territory clicked open, and was held open as the Medical Director stepped in, followed by a rather humble husband. Silence. The only thing which dominated the atmosphere. She kicked off her heels, before striding her way into the kitchen. He watched as she did, sensing a feeling of anger within her. He knew she wasn't pleased with the outcome he was forced to conclude with. The complication had almost shattered their plan. Briefly after, he followed her steps into the kitchen, catching sight of her rummaging through their fridge, obvious with the intention of cooking something to eat. Knowing it was ridiculous of them to keep up this silence, he stepped up behind her, causing her to jump as she turned around.

"Connie, come on, we can't go on like this…"

"What else do you want me to do Michael? Ric's done it again, you've made us look like fools again." She hissed, barging her way past him, the fridge door slamming shut.

"And this isn't the end of it Connie…"

"This isn't your own private schoolboy match with Ric Griffin. This is a hospital we're talking about…"

"Look, I've told you before…trust me." he replied, as one of his hands reached for her waist, resting gently against it, before a reassuring smile appeared across his face.

"I've put more than my trust in your hands," she spat back, before pushing him away and disappearing up the stairs, leaving him with the joys of cooking their evening meal, whilst she was upstairs preparing herself for an early night in.

The sweet aromas of his cooking soon lured her back down the stairs and into the kitchen. She had changed into a silk dressing gown of hers, just about covering the night dress she wore underneath. He smirked as he caught a glimpse of her, before serving a decent sized portion of the pasta he had prepared. She perched herself up on the breakfast bar, as he did so, before seating himself beside her. Without a single word, the meal was soon finished. He knew she was livid at him. And there was only usually one cure which relieved her of her fury, and he wasn't one to leave his wife to cool off. Taking the empty plates away from the worktop, he placed them in the sink, before realising Connie had jumped off her stool and was now making her way back upstairs. He reached out for her shoulder, turning her around in a spin. "Connie…" he began, his mind beginning to think out what he was going to say.

"Another plan up your sleeve? Don't bother, it'll only go down the gutter like the rest have…" she snapped, still looking rather annoyed at him.

"No…I just think you need a little TLC, it's been a tough day…" he continued, his hand gently cupping her face. Turning on his charm almost always caught his wife's attention, today was definitely no different.

"And I think your ego needs bursting." she muttered back, pushing him away and heading upstairs to their bedroom. Sighing with failure to grab his wife's best interests, he washed up and flicked off the lights, before heading in Connie's footsteps up to their room. She was already rolled over on her side when he slipped into bed beside her. He knew that she wasn't sleeping. She was thinking to herself, and nothing more. Deciding that leaving her alone was the best option, he turned himself the opposite way, turning off the light as he did, falling into a light slumber, without the slightest bit of doubt for the events that day.

Hour after hour passed, Connie lay motionless in bed, unable to sleep. Anger was more than what was spreading across her face following the former General consultant's outburst in front of the board earlier that week. She was infuriated by his actions. It was because of him that her plan to expand Darwin was temporarily halted. And she knew exactly why. He knew that her trial was to fail miserably and would virtually allow the hospital to collapse before them. And she knew his theory was correct, if it were to continue, her worst fears would be confirmed to happen. Though there was one thing that was obstructing her from halting the plans forever. Her own husband. He was far too interested in building the Beauchamp Empire and retaining his pride and reputation. Nothing was in her power that could stop him and force him to realise that this wasn't physically feasible.

-

Pacing her modern furnished office, she looked up at the clock, residing above her desk. It was time for yet another board meeting, to discuss the current situation further. All part of Michael Beauchamp's plan to receive the funding he wanted for his wife's department. Having discussed their conniving plan a few days before and almost ruling Ric Griffin out of the picture, it was all running very smoothly indeed according to Michael. They had been unsuccessful with their attempts to scupper Mr Griffin's future at the hospital, and now they were running out of options. She slipped on a jacket on top of her blouse, before the notorious sound of her heels clicked their way down the corridor, in the direction of the board room. Taking in a sharp, deep breath, she pushed down on the handle, making her entrance into the room. The whole board sat before her, her other half seated right at the end, at the head of the table by the window. An empty seat was right in front of her, a small card, which bared her name in solid black writing, identifying her seat.

Michael warmly smiled at her, with the hint that he was certain they were going to get what they wanted. Pulling out the chair before seating herself down, her eyes immediately lay upon Zubin Khan, who was sat opposite her. The sight of him a few days before when he let out his pathetic little "Yes" in a victorious manner was one she tried to forget. Beside him sat the infamous Mr Griffin. His eyes also locked upon the brunette. Flashbacks of their first ever encounter in his office flooded back to her. It had been over a year as she remembered it and nothing had come out of it. It was more of a one night stand than the beginning of an illicit affair.

Before Connie knew it, her husband had begun the meeting and commences reeling away at the long list of excuses he had mentally stored in his mind. She remained silent throughout the meeting, only the idea that her latest project was only destined for failure sifted through her head.

-

Time passed, and yet still no outcome was agreed on. It was clear that neither Ric nor Zubin would give up resisting the Beauchamp's plan to completely refurbish Holby. On top of that, Michael was being as persistent as the dynamic duo. All of this was enough to drive anyone, Connie in particular, crazy.

"Halting the trial indefinitely will allow us to see the hospital get back to the routine it is used to." declared Zubin, clearly determined to abolish the intended plans.

"But surely Professor Khan, you want to see Holby provide the best possible care for a patient?" Michael argued back, with a hint of hatred for the Professor in his eyes.

"Of course…"

"Then surely, the expansion of Darwin into a specialist cardiothoracic unit would fulfil such needs. This is why, ladies and gentlemen of the board, we need to continue this trial expansion to prove that Holby is capable of coping and adapting to the new guidelines." Michael recalled, as if he had memorised his little speech and was now reciting it.

"But…" interrupted Ric, with the slightest feeling of frustration, "The past week has proven your idea to completely bring the system to near shut down! Surely, there is only one solution for this. And that should be Professor Khan's proposition"

Michael Beauchamp knew Ric was right, but was still determined to fight for it. However, he had run out of reasons and by now, the board members had probably been converted to think in the opposition's point of view. Realising he had no more luck in the world of winning back his chance, he had no other choice. "All those in favour of abandoning the trial?" he finally announced. Almost immediately, the duo had their hands raised, followed by almost all members of the board. Much to his surprise, Connie also raised her hand gradually, obviously realising the failure this idea was. And with that the meeting was adjourned and Michael was seen to be storming out. The members of the board filed out accordingly, leaving Zubin, Ric and Connie in the room, taking looks at one another, all surprised that Connie had taken the opposite side to Michael Beauchamp. Unable to take anymore of the silence, Zubin swiftly left, leaving Ric and Connie alone, along with the feeling of dèja-vu.


	2. Chapter 2

N.b: Try listening to Jem's Come On Closer whilst reading.

Neither knew what they wanted to say to each other. The last time they were in a situation like this was probably the time they last met in Ric's office following Connie's first day at Holby. Ric was still speechless at Connie's swift change of mind. Her eyes searched his face for a reaction to her choice in the whole idea. Reality soon kicked into Connie, as she sat back down on one of the boardroom chairs, letting out quite a loud sigh. Watching her as she did, he gently migrated towards her, his attention seemed to be diverted towards the decanter of water, picking it up and filling himself a glass.

"Not a bad performance today, I must say it is probably one of your best…" he began, not really choosing the best of times to comment on the Medical Director's decision. Her hand was supporting her head as she looked down in complete disbelief in herself. As soon as she heard his sarcastic comment, she shot a look at him, probably one Ric was getting used to by now.

"You really pick the right time to start another argument, don't you?" she snapped straight back at him, her eyes locking a lingering stare with his.

"Connie…Connie, I'm not picking fights, I'm merely complimenting you…" he soon corrected, before soothing his throat from the previous argument with Michael Beauchamp with a large gulp of refreshing mineral water.

"The day you compliment me will be the day Michael gets his way with the board." She watched him cautiously, taking in every single movement he made, not really sure what to make of it all.

"Though I must say, going against your husband's wishes was pretty impressive, though I dread to see the consequences back in the Beauchamp residence…" he continued with a sly smile, knowing that she was definitely in for a bumpy ride once she returned home.

"The idea has become surreal recently…" she slowly began to admit, waiting for the look of satisfaction on his face to appear almost instantaneously. It however didn't. He gazed at her mysteriously, wondering where the Connie Beauchamp that stood up for everything that made her look so superior had vanished to. It seemed as if she had come back to the woman she was on her very first day at Holby. The not-so-power-crazed cardiac consultant, who was extremely attractive in his eyes. Could this be possibly the real Connie? Recently, it had become apparent that she had the capability of twisting her husband around her finger within minutes, grabbing every opportunity she liked. But the woman who sat before him didn't seem like the same person.

"So you admit, that it's a bad idea after all?" he said, before leaning himself against the cabinet, his eyes locked upon her, waiting for an answer. All she could do was avoid his stares, signalling a single yet subtle nod confirming the answer to his question. Finally realising that she couldn't stand anymore of the so called interrogation from him, she stood up slowly from the chair, heading towards the door, "Excuse me for a moment" before the door was flung open and she headed in the direction of her office. Completely bemused to her odd behaviour, he peered out into the corridor, soon following her steps to the door of her office, now firmly closed.

He spotted her silhouette behind the glass window, sat by her desk, pouring out what seemed to be the only alcoholic substance in her presence. After witnessing her filling up her glass to the brim, he knocked resolutely on the door, anticipating the usual "Come in" before he made his appearance. However, this time there was no answer. He tried again, but it seemed as if Connie had decided to ignore the presence of whoever it was outside. Knowing clearly that she wasn't going to invite him in, he opened the door slightly, catching sight of her leaning her head into one of her hands, the other supporting the wine glass filled to the brim with probably the highest quality of wine. He slipped into the room, closing the door behind him, causing her to jump slightly, before looking up to see who it was. Thinking he had returned to rub in the current situation even more, she turned herself around to face the opposite way.

"I'm not here to make matters worse Connie." he explained, trying to catch eye contact with her, but knowing she was reluctant to make contact with anyone at the moment, following the relapse of her plan.

"Then why exactly are you here then Mr Griffin?" she snapped back, fighting back the emotion attempting to break through. The last time she felt this way was when she failed to save her own registrar, except last time, she let the tears take over her. Ric wasn't present the last time either. She wasn't sure if Ric had ever seen her in such emotional circumstances ever before. Eventually unable to hold it back any longer, a small tear made its way down her cheek. Watching in complete astonishment at the Medical Director practically breaking down before her, he had no idea how to tackle the situation.

"What's…wrong?" he finally asked, before moving closer to her, hoping she would turn to him for comfort, rather than going it alone, knowing she didn't really have anyone other than her husband for a shoulder to cry on, but in this situation, he doubted her husband would play a part in her comforting. Wiping away the odd tear, she looked up at him, with a look he had never seen on her face before. His arms came closer to her, before cradling her as he stood to the side of her, "Connie, tell me…" he whispered softly into her ear. She looked up at him, still a little surprised at them being so close to one another in a long time.

"It's nothing to worry about." she replied, completely obvious to Ric that she wasn't telling the complete truth.

"Now I know as well as you do, that that isn't entirely true." He pointed out, giving her a look that showed he wasn't too impressed with her cover up story. Silence filled the room, like it had before in the board room. Slowly detaching herself from him momentarily, she tapped the play button on her stereo player, causing the current CD in it to begin from the beginning. She turned the volume knob down a little, lowering level of music blaring out of the speakers. She returned to him, before he led her to the sofa on the other side of the room. They sat down almost simultaneously, before she took a deep breath, preparing herself to tell him the truth behind her emotional outburst.

"It's Michael" she began, swallowing a little, not quite knowing how he'd take the news or how else this would turn out. She paused for a little longer, causing him to stare at her to continue.

"What about him? What else has he done?"

"I…I…" she continued, the words refusing to come out into the open. He reached out for her hands, holding them as comfort, before giving her a reassuring smile. She forced one in return, before returning to her attempt to explain more, "I caught him playing away."

"You…he did what?" Completely shocked to what he had heard, but not completely taken by surprise. Michael Beauchamp didn't really look as if he was the perfect husband, who kept himself completely faithful to his spouse. "With who?"

"His blonde PA." she said with a hint of jealousy. His PA was indeed blonde, and she knew that Michael's head would instantaneously turn, whenever a blonde passed within 3 feet of him.

"What? Nicole?" he frowned with utter surprise to the identity of Michael's mysterious blonde, "Do you know how long?"

"Not a clue in the world. Michael denied an affair; he claims it was a one off. Like I believe him though…I could take a wild guess that he's run to her for his own consolation right now." she replied, clearly trying to push the subject away from the conversation, by getting it into the open. By passing her knowledge of it all to Ric.

"I guess it's his choice if he wants to cheat on his perfectly beautiful wife, it's his own loss…" he answered back. He smiled warmly at her, knowing what he said was absolutely true, "What has happened to us Connie? You know…I did really believe we had something…" All she could do was smile in return, not quite certain what to say.

"Well, you still have the charm you had a year ago. Never afraid to please a woman…" she spoke, her voice near to nothing, her eyes travelling to meet his, seeing what she saw over a year ago.

"Never will be…" Before she knew it, Ric had made a closer advance towards her. She could've easily backed away from the situation, but she met him halfway, allowing their lips to gently brush over one another. Retreating away from each other, their eye contact remained, inches between them. Fully realising she was about to embark on an affair of her own, she pulled away more, causing him to watch her with a sense of curiosity of her action. "Connie?"

"We can't do this. It's not right." She explained, breaking their gazes into one another's eyes. His arm touched hers gently, the feeling of reassurance being passed along to her.

"And since when did you do things by the book? It's not like Michael would care anymore, would he?" he replied, cleverly stating the point out to her, before she realised the truth in his words and sitting herself cautiously back on the sofa. By now, the first track had finished moving on a much slower, seductive melody.

They moved closer to one another again as the track progressed further on. Ric's hand made its way slowly up her arm, before travelling along her neck, gently cupping her face as their lips met once more. His other hand slipped around the back of her, resting it skilfully on the small of her back. He pulled away momentarily, looking deeply into eyes, seeing what he saw on that very first night they spent with each other. It was only a few hours, but it was indeed memorable to them both.

**_Come on closer, I wanna show you, what I'd like to do.  
You sit back now, just relax now, I'll take care of you._**

He slid his other hand beneath her, picking her up slightly, moving her nearer the end of the sofa, laying her down before him. Delving towards her neck, he lay small kisses up her neck, triggering her memories of their remarkable experience. She remembered how caring and loving he was, as he took her hand into his, before kissing it teasingly. She smiled with a hint of flirtatiousness, knowing exactly what she had landed herself in for. He knew she was to enjoy every moment of it. Her arms reached for the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her. He did the same, before he knew it, he was on top of her, straddling her small body, as they kissed more and more intensely. It was becoming more as a resemblance to rekindled love, rather than another illicit affair to add to Connie's current collection. His hands moved underneath her, his surgeon hands slipping underneath the thin blouse than covered her slim self. His fingers worked their way up her back tenderly, knowing this was teasing her immensely. Whilst one hand remained beneath her, his other made its way on top of her, beginning to unbutton her top in a skilful fashion.

_**Hot temptations, sweet sensations, infiltrating through.**_  
**_Sweet sensations, hot temptations, coming over you.  
_**

She watched him intriguingly, his nimble fingers flicking at the top button of her blouse, seeming quite desperate to free it. Succeeding with the first, his hand continued to the next, struggling once more. She glanced up at his face, fully concentrated on the removal of her blouse. Reaching up for his tie, she gripped hold of it, pulling one end so that the cleverly tied knot became undone. Ridding of it almost immediately, she began on the unbuttoning of his shirt, as a wicked smile played across her face. As his hands worked down her blouse, he revealed more and more of her soft, cream coloured skin. His eyes took in the view, before he kissed down her torso, the kisses triggering her to gasp in delight as he moved lower. She pushed his shirt off his shoulders, revealing his extremely toned body. Running her hands down as he travelled back up to her, she kissed him urgently, signalling to him exactly what she wanted.

_**Gonna take it slow babe, do it my way, keep your eyes on me.  
Your reaction, to my action, is what I want to see.**_

Not long later, their clothes had been peeled off each other and Ric was still sat on top of her. Sliding off her, he lay beside her, his fingers exploring their way down her once more, before inserting itself deep inside her. She rolled her eyes in sheer pleasure as he did so, knowing he knew exactly how to please in such a situation. He continued to pleasure her, giving her a little more to look forwards, for both knew that this wasn't the end. His fingers were soon replaced by his lips. Never in her life, had she felt the fullest pair of lips upon her in such a fashion. The alternation between quick flicks and generous sweeps caused her to let out a languorous moan. For Connie, the sensation hadn't been experienced in very long time, not even Michael could set her off. Ric was probably one of the few who had succeeded in doing so.

_**Rhythmic motion, raw emotion, infiltrating through.  
Sweet sensations, hot temptations, coming over you.  
**_

As soon as the sensation had almost filtered out of her body, she turned herself over, taking control as she pulled her leg over him. She smirked seductively as she lowered herself down on him, her eyes remaining glued in contact with his. They moved in synchrony with one another, the tension building up in both of them. Neither of them could hold the exhilaration any longer. They both cried in ecstasy as they came, his thrusts become weaker before he finally pulled away from him. They lay beside each other, breathing rapidly, desperate to catch their breath back. Connie leant over, her head resting lightly on his chest, his hand reaching over her, his fingers beginning to run slowly through her hair as they regained their energy.

_**And now you're satisfied, a twinkle in your eye, go to sleep for ten.  
And anticipating, I will be waiting, for you to wake again.  
**_

Not long later, Connie awoke in Ric's arms. He had been awake all this time, even though she had drifted off for about an hour. She looked up at him, he smiled warmly down at her. With Ric, she felt more secure and more confident in herself, unlike Michael, where she worried about his fidelity almost all the time. She knew Ric wasn't going to go anywhere, she knew he cared for her, despite their falling out over the hospital, along with the notorious Zubin Khan. She sat up, pulling the blanket that covered them both, more over her. He followed suit, before picking up the clothes that had been previously thrown on the floor. He handed her various garments, which belonged to her, slipping on his own. A few minutes later, they were both dressed. It was still dark outside, for they had only resided in Connie's office for a few hours following their shifts and the disastrous meeting that late afternoon.

"I guess I better be getting back home." She spoke nervously, not quite sure what excuse she would give Michael, if he was there when she returned.

"Don't let him get the better of you. Promise me that?" He replied, cupping her cheek as he pulled her for another passionate kiss.

"I won't. I promise" was the reply. She broke away from him, turning the stereo player off from the main socket and picking up her personal possessions, opening the door. She smiled at him slightly, hoping this was for the best, before leaving the room. His eyes trailed her journey to the lift, before he moved out of the room himself, flicking the lamp illuminating the room off, leaving the room in complete darkness, only the lights from the corridor reflecting through the blinds.

_**Hour after hour of sweet pleasure  
After this I guarantee you'll never wanna leave  
Shut your eyes and think about what I'm about to do  
Sit back relax I'll take my time this lovin's all for you**_


End file.
